Arizona moves one step closer to making idolatrous gun worship the official state religion

I can't believe that this bill ever got assigned for a hearing, let alone wasting time debating it and voting on it.

Arizona moved one step closer yesterday to making idolatrous gun worship the official state religion. Guns will now be sacred objects and holy relics that are protected from destruction, even by their owners who want to dispose of them.

A House committee on Wednesday supported legislation reinforcing Arizona lawmakers’ decision not to allow cities or counties to destroy guns their police forces seize or buy back from the public.

The state Legislature last year required the courts to order local law enforcement agencies to sell firearms they acquire and forbid local governments from authorizing the destruction of these weapons. This year, gun-rights advocates are back with a tweak to the law to make sure there’s no getting around the intent, particularly as law enforcement agencies around the nation have hosted gun buyback events following the Connecticut massacre.

House Bill 2455 clarifies that the state has decision-making authority over gun regulation. It also clarifies that a state, county or local government must sell guns it receives in any manner unless they are deemed to be evidence in a crime. This includes weapons that individuals voluntarily hand over, even if their desire is for the weapon to be destroyed. The bill also eliminates the current law requirement that a court must authorize the sale and leaves the responsibility with the government agency holding the weapon.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Brenda Barton, R-Payson, passed the House Public Safety, Military and Regulatory Affairs Committee 5-3, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats opposing it. It now needs a vote of the full House before moving on to the Senate.

The committee voted down an amendment proposed by Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, that would have created an exception in situations where an owner explicitly requests that the gun be destroyed.

Barton said the goal of the bill is to strengthen the state’s authority over local governments in regulating firearms.

The usual suspects, the National Rifle Association, Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association, Gun Owners of Arizona and the Arizona Citizens Defense League support the bill.

It appears these geniuses have left a loophole to be exploited — until these zealots try to change the law again — Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, said if someone wants to have a firearm destroyed, they can do that themselves or take it to a private business to do it for them.

So then a nonprofit group, say Americans For Responsible Solutions, could sponsor gun buybacks and there is nothing these idolatrous religious zealots can do about it. The off-duty cop they hire to run the checks on the guns would not be acting on behalf of any local government. There's the workaround, folks. Privatize it.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, was one of the few sane people at this hearing. “Guns do not have rights. I have a right to bear arms. And I should do what I want with my property,” he said, adding that an individual should have the right to ask a police department to destroy their weapon for them. “I think we are infringing upon that [private property rights].”

Ah, but Bill, just this week another committee approved a bill that would require the state to destroy marijuana confiscated from persons under Arizona’s medical marijuana program. Consistency is not their strong suit.

Thank YOU for being there and testifying against this insanity! Keep up the good work.

Barton said the goal of the bill is to strengthen the state’s authority over local governments in regulating firearms. This is very telling to me. So THIS is freedom? Let’s just broaden the mantra of “state’s rights” to now include that a few (elected reps) have the power over the many (us)to determine that we no longer matter. That our wishes to have our guns destroyed is null and void, and that the gun matters above all else. This is big, intrusive govt at its finest!

This has NOTHING to do with regulating firearms and she should be called out for this disingenuous statement. This is yet another bill of ALEC’s making, not for the good of the people, but for the gun lobby.

The elected officials that present these insane bills as their own, all while doing the bidding of ALEC and the NRA, should be thrown out of office for lying to the people that elected them! As soon as any one of them signed on with these groups to promote their poison, against the people, they have ALL VIOLATED THEIR OATH OF OFFICE!

Good for you for going there. People better wake up, and wake up soon.

Thanks for running this story ! I was there and testified against this ludicrous bill and will hopefully be there throughout the whole process.
Leonard Clark

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